Dog (puppy) with cleft palate

The head of a puppy, showing a cleft palate. Clefts occur when the two sides of the palate (the roof of the mouth) fail to fuse during development. This results in an abnormal opening between the roof of the mouth and the nose. Cleft palates are a congenital disorder (present from birth), and can therefore interfere with suckling which may lead to malnutrition in affected animals. They are found more commonly in brachycephalic (short-nosed) dog breeds, and in a number of pure-breeds including beagles, German shepherds and dachshunds.